If they were determined to share their past with us, the least they ought to have done was to make the recounts funny and interesting. Instead, they have saddled us with most boring pieces of adverts ever

I really don't know what I did when I was 25. And even if I did, I can't put it out here-it's a family site, you see. Well, the reason I say this is because Kotak Mahindra has turned 25. And has been asking all sorts of people this question as part of its celebratory campaign.

And they have released a zillion commercials where people are telling us stuff they did whey they were 25. One uncle reports he used to sport a ponytail. Another executive boasts he used to enjoy vada pav. A child declares she will make more money than dad when she turns 25. Another senior citizen says when he was 25 he used to chat with people face to face, and not on 'facebook'. Another dude says he lost his
passport when he went to Bangkok at the age of 25. And this boring charade goes on.

This must be one of the most juvenile and yawny ad campaigns of 2010. There are some very serious problems with this idea and its execution. Here goes.

One, if Kotak Mahindra is 25 years old, what's in it for me, the consumer? How does that change my life? Will every investor have his/her account credited with Rs25K bonus? They could simply have had a grand office party where all the staffers have a rocking time. Why tell that to us? This is nothing more than the paid Page 3 private party pictures that appear in colour supplements of newspapers.

Two, the approach. So okay, you turned 25. And let's assume you are very happy and want to share the joy. Tell us what special deeds you've done in all these years so we can be impressed. What financial milestones have you achieved? What's the unique thing Kotak Mahindra does? That other banks don't do? In short, we are happy for you, but please tell us why we must bank with you. Nothing of that sort gets answered. All we have is some people telling us stuff they did when they turned 25. What's that gotta do with the bank? A totally senseless approach.

Thirdly, even assuming despite all this Kotak Mahindra wanted to have a public bash, and was determined to share their past history with us, the least they ought to have done was to make the recounts very witty, funny and interesting. So if nothing else, the least that could have happened was we smiled a bit. But even that was not to be. They have saddled us with most boring pieces of adverts ever.

By the way, dear Kotak Mahindra, I do now recall what I did when I was 25. I smashed the window pane of a bank whose staffers were full of themselves and cared two hoots for their customers. Happy 25!